The space requirement for the connection system, comprising cables and connectors, notably originating from the equipment, of an aircraft instrument panel, is usually considerable.
Wasted space is often a disadvantage in the aviation field where electronic integration, miniaturization, weight and the arrangement of the equipment must be optimized.
In addition, in aircraft, the connection system of the electronic equipment and of the instrument panel is subjected to environmental conditions that are often difficult. The cables and the connectors are reinforced in order to withstand the temperature, vibrating environment and electromagnetic environment stresses. This reinforcement may be produced by means of strands, sheaths or connectors containing reinforced protections. For this reason, the space requirement of these means is greater and their flexibility is reduced.
In particular, in aircraft, the cables and strands situated behind the electronic equipment have a not inconsiderable radius of curvature. The fairly high rigidity of the cables means that they cannot be steered at all or not very easily. Their bulk requires the provision of adequate space.
In particular, electronic equipment of the display screen type mounted in flight decks are the subject of design studies in order to reduce the space occupied behind said screens.
Currently, screens for aircraft usually have two connection methods:                In a first method, they are attached mainly via their front face to the instrument panel and they have a screw or bayonet connector on the rear face. Usually, these connectors are for example connectors complying with the MIL-38999 standard or connectors of the SUB-D type. These connectors are manually connected in advance.        In the second method, they are plugged or racked into a support, for example of the chair, case, rack or airframe type. The support, on the instrument panel, then has a plug-in connector, the element being plugged in blind. Connectors complying with the ARINC600 or ARINC404 standard are an example.The device according to the invention forms part of the latter method.        
FIG. 1 represents a device according to the prior art corresponding to the first method described. The electronic module represents an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen 10. In a first step, the connector 13 is connected to the screen, then, in a second step, the screen is attached via its front face into the base 15. The strand 12 is brought away behind the support forming an arc of a circle.
FIG. 2 represents another device according to the prior art corresponding to the second method described. In the example, the electronic equipment is an LCD screen 10 that can be plugged into a support 16. The support 16 has a dual function. Its first function is to guide the LCD screen 10 when the latter is plugged in, its second function is to support a portion of the forces that hold the screen 10 in the instrument panel.
The connector 11 is attached to the support 16. The direction 14 of connection is perpendicular to the front face of the support and to the front face of the screen. The connection is carried out with the aid of an insertion force applied to the LCD screen 10, usually achieved by a pressure of an operator. The connector 11 of the support is designed to interact with the connector of the LCD screen 10.
These two examples, according to the prior art, represent cases in which the equipment has a connector which comprises internal electric connections and if necessary internal optical fibers. The latter are positioned in the same direction as the axis of the strand, connected to the connector of the support, that is to say perpendicular to the front face of the equipment.
A disadvantage with respect to the optical fibers is that their radius of curvature is large. As a result, the curvature of the strand, behind the support, causes a space requirement in depth.
FIG. 3 represents a detailed view of the connector 22 of the equipment 29 and of the connector of the instrument panel 21. The electronic equipment 29 comprises an optical fiber 25, inside the equipment, directed perpendicularly to the connector; it links the connector 22 to the optoelectronic module 27. The optoelectronic module 27 is attached to a printed circuit 26. Said printed circuit 26 is itself attached to the connector 22 by columns, for example EMI (electromagnetic interface) columns 23. Other electric connections 24 link the printed circuit to the connector 22.
In this example, the optical fiber has a radius of curvature requiring a space 28 in depth inside the equipment when the latter links the optoelectronic module 27 to the connector 22. This space requirement may be a constraint even within the equipment.
When the equipment 29 is inserted into the connector 21, the strand 20 forms an arc of a circle the curvature of which is not inconsiderable. This arc of a circle may constitute an encumbrance of the space situated behind the equipment when the latter is plugged into the instrument panel for example.
The company Rockwell has patented, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,428, a device making it possible to integrate the optical/electric converter inside the socket of the connector, so that said connector is rendered active. This device, which is not used or not very much used for very fast connections, for example having a bit rate of several gigabits/s, is difficult to produce and to use with optoelectronic components available off the shelf. This solution therefore requires a development of highly integrated elements. In addition, the function, integrated into the connector, is notably dependent on the wavelength and bit rate. The dependence of the connector on the type of application chosen renders said connector specific or dedicated and is a disadvantage.
Furthermore, the company Thales-Avionics has patented, in the patent whose publication number is WO 2006/029975, a connector socket with electrical and optical contacts. This socket makes it possible to avoid the disadvantages of an active connector, of the type patented by Rockwell. On the other hand, this solution requires the development of a specific component, rendering this solution not very flexible in industrial applications.